Vehicle headlight control device

Abstract

A lamp ECU acquires, from a sensor, a position of a target light source of a forward vehicle when viewed from a sensor mounting position, calculates, on a basis of an amount of position deviation between a lighting fixture mounting position and the sensor mounting position, a parallax-corrected direction of a target position, based on the acquired position of the target light source, when viewed from the lighting fixture mounting position, and outputs a light shielding range on a basis of the calculated parallax-corrected direction.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A headlight control system which controls a headlight mounted in a predetermined lighting fixture mounting position in a vehicle, the headlight control system comprising:
 a range output section which acquires, from a sensor mounted in a predetermined sensor mounting position in the vehicle, a position of a target light source of a forward vehicle when viewed from the sensor mounting position, calculates, on a basis of an amount of position deviation between the lighting fixture mounting position and the sensor mounting position, a parallax-corrected direction of a target position when viewed from the lighting fixture mounting position, the target position being based on the acquired position of the target light source, and outputs, on a basis of the calculated parallax-corrected direction, a direction range which is viewed from the lighting fixture mounting position and in which illumination provided by the headlight needs to be suppressed; and 
 a control section which controls the headlight on a basis of the direction range outputted by the range output section. 
 
     
     
       2. The headlight control device as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 in a case where the forward vehicle is a preceding vehicle, the range output section calculates the parallax-corrected direction on a basis of the amount of position deviation and outputs the direction range on a basis of the calculated parallax-corrected direction; 
 the range output section outputs the direction range on a basis of a direction of the target position when viewed from a reference position, in a case where the forward vehicle is an oncoming vehicle, the lighting fixture mounting position is deviated to a certain side in a vehicle lateral direction of the vehicle with respect to the sensor mounting position, the target light source is a light source on the certain side of two light sources of the vehicle, and the target position is deviated to the certain side with respect to the lighting fixture mounting position; and 
 when the reference position is compared with the lighting fixture mounting position, the reference position is closer to the sensor mounting position than the lighting fixture mounting position is. 
 
     
     
       3. The headlight control device as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the range output section sets the target position on a basis of a lateral offset amount which is stored in advance in a storage medium as an amount of offset outward in a lateral direction of the vehicle from the position of the target light source. 
 
     
     
       4. The headlight control device as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein:
 the range output section switches the lateral offset amount depending on a type of the forward vehicle. 
 
     
     
       5. The headlight control device as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein:
 the range output section switches the lateral offset amount depending on whether the forward vehicle is a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle. 
 
     
     
       6. The headlight control device as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the range output section sets the target position on a basis of a longitudinal offset amount which is stored in advance in a storage medium as an amount of offset forward in a direction of travel of the vehicle from the position of the target light source. 
 
     
     
       7. The headlight control device as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein:
 the range output section switches the longitudinal offset amount depending on a type of the forward vehicle. 
 
     
     
       8. The headlight control device as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein:
 the range output section switches the longitudinal offset amount depending on whether the forward vehicle is a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle.